Madrid (AFP)

FC Barcelona in slow motion: still deprived of Lionel Messi, and still at a standstill on the Neymar record, the Spanish champion stumbled against the promoted Osasuna (2-2) Saturday for the third day of Liga, missing the opportunity to get on the provisional podium.

At the El Sadar Stadium in Pamplona, ​​Roberto Torres' double in a splendid volley (7th) and a penalty conceded by Gerard Piqué (81st) allowed Osasuna to draw a draw. Previously, with Antoine Griezmann less sharp than the previous weekend, Barça had yet taken the advantage thanks to the thunderous return of the young Ansu Fati (16), author of his first goal blaugrana (51st), then a shot placed Brazilian Arthur (64th).

With only one victory in three days, Barça (4 pts) has scored its worst start in the Spanish league since the 2008-2009 season. The Catalan club is three points behind Athletic Bilbao (7 pts) and Sevilla FC (7 pts).

"In the first half we were terrible, really," blaugrana coach Ernesto Valverde pleaded. "We controlled this game, we can not afford to let it go."

Atlético Madrid (6 pts), who receives Eibar Sunday late afternoon, can take orders alone if successful, while Real Madrid (4 pts) moves Sunday night on the lawn Villarreal.

- Griezmann struggles in vain -

It's not really the beginning of the season that Barça dreamed of, handicapped by the wounds of Lionel Messi (calf), Luis Suarez (calf) and Ousmane Dembélé (thigh).

But with a Griezmann who struggled in vain in tip, and still without Neymar (whose eventual return to Barcelona stretches in length), the team of Valverde has again lost valuable points.

The Catalans can only blame themselves: their marking is too loose on the opening score, where Roberto Torres, alone at the far post, can volley without any opposition (7th).

And the penalty conceded by Piqué for a hand over the shoulder seems indisputable, which gave a double to Torres (81).

Barça is punished after playing only in the second half, after a very disappointing first act when the Catalans failed to strike a shot.

- Fati was not enough -

At the break, Valverde took the risk of launching Ansu Fati, a week after his debut under the blaugrana jersey. And the young striker from Masia, the Catalan training center, scored with a splendid uncrossed header (51st), becoming the third youngest player to score a goal in La Liga history.

For the rest, Fati was his age: his shot against the goalkeeper was too crushed (59th) and he was too short on a volley center Griezmann (73). The latter also did not have the same performance as last weekend at Camp Nou, where he had signed a double against Betis (5-2) ...

In a very open end of the match, Arthur gave Barça the advantage of a shot in the middle of four defenders (64th), but that was not enough for the Catalans, saved several times by their goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen (75th, 78th) before the equalizer penalty.

Finally, on the match ball, the young blaugrana striker Carles Pérez (21 years old) tangled his brushes alone in front of the goalkeeper (89th) ...

It is a little worrying that big Barça has to rely on such inexperienced players. And it will be necessary to see if the international truce at the beginning of September allows the Barcelonans to recover by recovering some of their wounded ... Unless Neymar arrives at the very end of transfer window?

© 2019 AFP